Stuff White People Like

So this blog has been discussed and linked to a ton already, but its hilarity is worth the hype. Onion-grade humor applied ad infinitum to one topic ripe for parody. Check it out.

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More NY Times Goodness

The Times employs some pretty skilled chart-makers. It takes some ingenuity to show dry data in an engaging and logical way, but the Times regularly publishes well-researched, well-designed visual representations of otherwise mind-numbing numbers and statistics. Here are two examples, with more likely to follow.

The Ebb and Flow of Movies: Box Office Receipts 1986 - 2007


How Generation Influences Party Affiliation

UPDATE: MoMA in New York currently has an exhibititon called "Design and the Elastic Mind" that includes a discussion of the visualization of mass quantities of data. Keep reading...

Google sees the future

Wonkette finds that Googling "NY State" shows that Lt. Governor David Paterson has already assumed his boss's job in the wake of Spitzer's embarrassing prostitution scandal.

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Taco Bell + Swimsuit Models = Excellent advertising

On impulse (aka compelled by male hormones), I recently purchased the 2008 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The spreads were nice of course, but it was a Taco Bell ad that really caught my attention. Most swimsuit issue ads are what you'd expect: sexual innuendos and girls in bikinis. Few brands take any sort of creative risk, which basically ensures very few ads stand out to the reader. The Taco Bell ad, on the other hand, takes a totally different tack. The reader first sees this page:

Man, that's lame, you think. Nice job thinking outside the bun, Taco Bell. Then you turn the page and find this ad:


Using the "We're so hip by acknowledging this is an ad" technique, eh? So what's the catch?



The last page is a little confusing. The art direction is terrible; there is no transition between the "Haha, there's no hot girl here" voice to the "We need a photographer" voice. Reading it, you'd think you now actually have a chance to go on a photo shoot with Daniella. So you go to the site.

Direct Daniella

In fact, it's not actually a chance to spend some quality time with a Brazilian supermodel. It's actually way better (strategically). Visitors to the site are able to take snapshots of Daniella, as if she's really posing for them, using a prerecorded video of a mock shoot. Each visitor's shots are unique and completely realistic; bad timing, and you'll end up with quite a few of Daniella looking drowsy or drunk. At the end of the shoot you have the option to save as many of your shots as you want to your own computer. It's a creative way to engage the consumer and get many (extended) page views on the site.

Overall, I'd give the campaign an A-. It hits its target audience perfectly, as Taco Bell consumers and swimsuit-issue-buyers are heavily overlapping demographics. This integrated campaign is a whole new twist on user-generated content. It allows each individual to experience the site in his (or her) own way, while still maintaining the integrity of the brand. Keep reading...

Comedic niches

Will Ferrell is a wildly popular actor, able to turn a mediocre movie into comedic gold with his unique blend of physical comedy and deadpan delivery. Ferrell has mastered playing various takes on a particular stock character, the well-meaning, ill-informed oaf. He is rarely given a role that deviates much from this likeable buffoon; like any other human being, Ferrell has been penned into a comedic pigeonhole.

Everyday social interaction is a complex dance of morals, motives, and customs, with participating parties vying to be interesting but not offensive, intelligent but not pretentious, nice but not unctuous. Humor is an essential part of this strange dance. It is used to demonstrate social comfort, ease tensions, as well as engender goodwill in cultures across the world. The role that humor plays is as complicated as it is vital.

As one establishes an identity within a group, one establishes a humor niche at the same time. A humor niche is not necessary (meaning not everyone in a group will be a jokester), but individuals will prove themselves prone to certain types of humor as a social group develops. Once these niches are set, it is exceedingly hard to venture outside the boundaries that gradually delineate one’s comedic role.

Consider a small college class of 10-15 people. Early in the semester, by being brave enough to take a risk and crack jokes in front of an unfamiliar audience, one student will become the “alpha” class clown. As the semester continues, several other students will become comfortable enough with the group to show the comedic sides of their personalities. Often each student will have a particular brand of humor (sexual, cynical, confrontational, sarcastic, etc.) that becomes his or her trademark.

If a student who has not earned the confrontational humor badge tries to assert himself in this manner, the other students (the audience) will be caught off guard and likely will not react with laughter, the desired response. Thus this student will henceforth be much less likely to attempt a joke out of his/her domain. Someone who is not known for sexual (or race-based) jokes may be deemed offensive if he attempts a joke of that nature. Likewise, a student who is quiet most of the time, but pipes up with a funny, but unexpected, wisecrack, will see his audience squirm in uncertainty as they decide whether to laugh. Initial silence is often a comedic death sentence.

An audience must be primed for maximum comedic effect; if each individual comprising the audience assumes the others will laugh, he will laugh. If he is not sure, he will hesitate. Someone with a proven reputation for funny comments has the advantage of “preemptive laughter.” The audience is already gathered at the cliff; all he has to do is push them over.

My personal comedic niche is actually fairly nebulous. It is most evident in smaller groups, and fades to the background as the group grows. In my own circle of friends there are the following talents/niches: impressions, deadpan, wacky randomness, “that’s what she said” comments, puns, as well as people who pitch in occasional jokes, etc. Each person plays his or her role, and is duly accepted for it.

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